How to connect Bart to Claude

Connect Claude Web, Desktop and Cowork to Bart MCP. Find next departures from embarcadero station, get real-time trip updates for richmond line, and more using natural language, with authentication handled for you.

Bart logoBart
Api Key

Bart is the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, providing fast public transportation across the San Francisco Bay Area. It helps commuters and travelers get real-time schedule info, plan routes, and stay updated on service changes.

18 Tools

Introduction

Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, available on the web, in the desktop app, and on mobile. Cowork is its agent for knowledge work, and it runs on all of those surfaces too. Connected to your apps, Claude can work with your files and services to accomplish complex tasks on your behalf.

This guide walks you through the easiest and most secure way to connect your Bart account to Claude via Composio Connect, enabling it to find next departures from Embarcadero station, get real-time trip updates for Richmond line, check current BART service advisories and alerts, and more such actions on your behalf without compromising your account security.

Setup is the same on Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork, and you only need to do it once. The connector is tied to your account, so it's available in all three.

Also integrate Bart with

Connecting Bart to Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

Two ways to add the Composio connector. Pick whichever you prefer.

1. Add with one click

Click the button. Claude opens with the Composio connector filled in. Click Add, then go to step 2.

Add to Claude

Add manually

In Claude Desktop, click Customize in the left sidebar, then select Connectors and click the + icon at the top.

Claude Desktop connectors screen with Add custom connector selected

Click Add custom connector and paste in the Composio MCP server URL:

bash
https://connect.composio.dev/mcp
Add custom connector dialog with Composio MCP server URL

2. Authorize in your browser

Click Connect. You'll be redirected to a browser window where you can authorize Composio to continue.

Composio authorization screen for Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork

3. Connect your Bart account

Back in Claude, ask it to connect to Bart or give it any Bart-related task.

For example, ask Claude to:

  • "Find next departures from Embarcadero station"
  • "Get real-time trip updates for Richmond line"
  • "Check current BART service advisories and alerts"

It will prompt you to authenticate and authorize access.

That's it. Composio's tools are now available in Claude, and your Bart account is ready to use.

What is the Bart Claude Connector, and what's possible with it?

The Bart MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Bart account. It provides structured and secure access to BART schedules, fares, routes, stations, and live service information, so your agent can check departures, plan trips, compare fares, monitor advisories, and review station access on your behalf.

  • Real time departure tracking: Have your agent check estimated departures from a chosen BART station and report how many trains are currently active.
  • Trip schedules and fares: Let the agent find scheduled trips by departure or arrival time and compare Clipper and cash fares between stations.
  • Routes and station details: Direct your agent to list BART routes, inspect route schedules, and retrieve detailed station information.
  • Service and elevator updates: Instruct your agent to check current service advisories, trip updates, and elevator status across BART stations.
  • Station access planning: Have your agent review parking, connecting transit, bike facilities, and locker options before your trip.

Troubleshooting

1. Why does Claude not use the Composio connector for Bart?

The connector can show as connected, but Claude must use it in each Bart conversation.

  • Click + at the lower left of the chat, or type /.
  • Hover Connectors.
  • Turn on Composio.
  • Ask Claude to connect to Bart again.

2. Why does Claude show an MCP server error before Bart connects?

Claude can show Couldn't reach the MCP server or Authorization with the MCP server failed when you add the connector for Bart.

  • Check that the connector URL is https://connect.composio.dev/mcp.
  • Connectors run from Anthropic's cloud, so your device network is usually not the problem.
  • Add the connector again from Customize > Connectors, then ask Claude to connect Bart.
  • If it fails again, send the error and the ofid_ reference id to support@composio.dev.

3. Why does the Bart authorization link not work?

The Composio connector is one server. Your Bart account connects separately when Claude asks for it.

  • If the browser does not open, or the link expires, ask Claude to retry the Bart connection.
  • Composio creates a fresh Bart authorization link.
  • Open that link in your browser and finish the Bart sign-in.

4. Why do Bart actions fail after they worked before?

The Bart connection can expire or lose permission.

  • Ask Claude to inspect the Bart connection.
  • If the connection is unhealthy, disconnect it when Claude prompts you.
  • Reconnect the Bart account and retry the action.
  • If Claude shows a permission prompt, approve it before Claude changes data in Bart.
  • If the action still fails with a permission error, check that the connected account has that permission in Bart itself.

5. How do I switch to a different Bart account?

Claude can manage the Bart connection for you.

  • Ask Claude to disconnect or delete the current Bart account.
  • Ask Claude to connect Bart again.
  • Open the new Composio authorization link for Bart.
  • Sign in with the other Bart account in the browser.
  • After the account connects, ask Claude to retry the Bart task.

6. Why is my Bart connection missing in Claude Desktop or on a Team plan?

The connector belongs to your Claude account, so your Bart connection works in Claude Web, Desktop, and Cowork.

  • In Claude Desktop, open Customize > Connectors.
  • Next to Composio, click ⋮ and click Clear cache.
  • If Bart tools still do not appear, click ⋮, disconnect, remove the connector, and add it again.
  • On Team or Enterprise, an Owner or Primary Owner must enable the connector before you can connect Bart.
TOOLS

Supported Tools

Every Bart action and event your agent gets out of the box.

Get BART API Version

Get the current version of the BART API.

Get Elevator Status

Tool to fetch current elevator status across all BART stations.

Get Estimated Departures

Tool to get real-time estimated departure times for a specified BART station.

Get BART Fare

Get fare information between two BART stations including Clipper and cash prices.

Get GTFS-RT Service Alerts

Tool to fetch GTFS-RT service alerts in protobuf format for integration with GTFS static feed.

Get GTFS-RT Trip Updates

Tool to fetch real-time trip updates in GTFS-Realtime format.

Download GTFS Static Schedule Feed

Downloads the BART static GTFS (General Transit Feed Specification) schedule feed as a ZIP archive.

Get Route Info

Tool to fetch detailed information about a specific BART route.

Get Route Schedule

Tool to get detailed schedule information for a specific BART route showing all trains and their stops.

Get BART Schedule Arrive

Tool to retrieve schedule information based on a specified arrival time.

Get BART Schedule Depart

Get BART train schedules departing from an origin station to a destination station at a specified time.

Get Service Advisories

Tool to fetch current BART service advisories.

Get Station Access

Get comprehensive station access information including parking, transit, bike facilities, and lockers.

Get Station Info

Get detailed information for a specific BART station by its abbreviation code.

Get BART Stations

Get a list of all BART stations with their complete information.

Get Station Schedule

Get detailed scheduled departure information for a specific BART station.

Get Train Count

Tool to fetch current count of trains active in the BART system.

List BART Routes

Tool to get a list of all current BART routes/lines with basic information.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

With a standalone Bart MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Bart tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Bart and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Yes, you can. Claude Cowork fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Bart tools.

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Bart scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Bart data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

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